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A bit of both. I was doing the main trim on the machine, and some of the awkward areas by hand. I've been so busy lately I'd had no time to improve on that first attempt.
In other news I finally grabbed some saddle soap (spray-can foam, not proper tinned stuff) and it's significantly improved the finish on two pairs of soft black oxfords.
The Crockett&Jones Bedfords now have a nice subtle sheen and more of the original calf skin texture showing through, and the un-named vintage pair are smooth and shiny with nice grain.
As neither pair are incredibly high shine, I was happy to put some pressure in to scrub away the old built-up polish, and it paid off. After a few coats of saddle soap the leather was matte and a little tacky as the moisture soaked in to the upper. Shortly after I applied one thin layer of Kiwi parade gloss and gave them a soft brushing over. Nice and smooth shine.
Definitely recommend applying saddle soap now and then to the polishing regime.
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pdlouche
Nice work, sewing the leather by hand or machine?
You might be able to add some shape/rigidity to to stop deformation from your toes in v2 by using a second layer in the beneath the 'toe box' (with a skived edge to stop a ridge forming) if lining them.